Colorado Rockies / MLB

Rockies' clubhouse being tested after 11th loss in 14 games

Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki finished just 1-for-12 in the three-game series against the Dodgers. (Denis Poroy, Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES — Changing the clubhouse culture was priority No. 1 for the Rockies over the winter.

Now, after a disquieting 11-5 loss to the Dodgers on Sunday at Dodger Stadium, that culture is being severely tested.

"It's a tough time, and this is one of the lowest of the lows," shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said. "We have a lot of veteran players and a lot of expectations. It's still early, but we need to get it going in the right direction. But we do have time."

The loss was the Rockies' 11th in their last 14 games. They are 1-5 on a current West Coast road trip that resumes tonight in San Francisco.

"This was a tough series," said Tulowitzki, who went 1-for-12 in the three losses to the Dodgers. "We didn't do much of anything right. On the days we hit, we didn't pitch. On the days we pitched, we didn't hit."

Sunday, the Rockies took a 3-1 lead after one inning and led 4-2 after four. But in the fifth, the roof caved in on starter Alex White and reliever Matt Reynolds. A mixture of three critical walks, a two-run, bases-loaded double by Bobby Abreu off White and a three-run homer by A.J. Ellis off Reynolds put the Dodgers ahead 8-4.

Rockies pitchers combined for 10 walks, nine of them after the fourth inning.

"When you do that, the chances of winning at this level are very, very slim," manager Jim Tracy said.

Tracy called the meltdown on the mound "embarrassing." He reiterated that the Rockies must find consistent pitching if they are going to turn their season around before it's too late.

"There is something that we can do," Tracy said. "That's put good pitching, and the type of offense we saw early on today, together over the course of a series of games."

Tracy's team is already seven games under .500 and 9½ games behind the sizzling Dodgers in the National League West. Asked if his team can climb out of the deep hole, Tracy said yes — if the pitching can get turned around.

The Rockies acquired Michael Cuddyer for his veteran leadership. It is being tested now as the Rockies continue to slide. ( Stephen Dunn, Getty Images)

"It's in-house and we know exactly what we need to get us going in the right direction," Tracy said. "This is tough to go through, and it's very challenging. It's hard because you want to be so much better. But right now we have to deal with it. We have to keep our heads up."

Outfielder Michael Cuddyer — the former Twins star who signed a three-year, $31.5 million deal with the Rockies during the most recent offseason — was at the center of Colorado's culture change. He experienced highs and lows playing for the Twins. Minnesota made the playoffs six times from 2002-10. But last year, the Twins lost 99 games.

Cuddyer doesn't see the Rockies going in the tank.

"We are not playing well, but we are competing," he said. "We are trying. We are not rolling over, I don't think. Today it was ugly late, but we are still rooting for each other and we are still fighting."

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